First post on this blog for almost a year. It's fair to say we've been busy, as in the intervening period we made a long-planned house move to Ilkley, I started back at University part-time, and Elodie, our now-nine month old baby girl joined the family in October.

As far as photography is concerned, I've not stopped taking pictures, but the subjects tend to be family stuff which I don't tend to feature much of here. That's why a rare trip out today has given me a good excuse to post some images.

Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire - Canon 5D Mark II - 24-105mm L

Today's destination was Brimham Rocks, a Natural Trust operated site in Nidderdale, near Harrogate. The drive there in good conditions was nothing short of spectacular at times, with the Washburn Valley particularly wonderful. Gone are the days however, where I can insist we stop the car to take a photo (our kids are like the bomb on the bus in the 90's film thriller 'Speed')

It's fair to say, the weather was changeable. No rain, but cloud cover was thick at times, with the sun only breaking through sporadically. This doesn't make for brilliant landscapes in this case as the lack of 'good light' led to fairly flat scenes. I'm probably guilty of over processing these images as a result, but hey ho.

Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire - Canon 5D MK II - 24-105mm L

The rock formations at Brimham are fantastic, uncanny and often appear to be defying the laws of physics. The rocks themselves are made of Gritstone, a type of sandstone very common in Yorkshire.

As a place to visit, Brimham has got to be one of the best places for a young family to go. Not too expensive, good facilities for picnics, lots of space for kids to run around, and of course, rocks to climb!

Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire - Canon 5D MK2 - 24-105mm L

From a purely photo perspective, I'd like to come back early morning or late evening with some low sun and raking light. The textures that that sort of lighting reveal would bring the best out of the final image.